Gino
Welcome to the Shed and Shine podcast. I am Gino Wickman. This is where Rob Dube and I help driven entrepreneurs shed their shit, free their true selves, unlock true entrepreneurial freedom, and shine. We truly appreciate you taking the time to spend with us, and we hope to make a huge impact on you.
Rob
Hello, everyone. My name is Rob Dube, and I am here with Gino Wickman. Gino, how are you today?
Gino
I am fantastic. I'm a little fired up today for some reason, so I don't know what that means. But, I
Rob
think Yeah, baby. Yeah, baby. Let's go.
Gino
It's been a great week of float. So Yeah. Okay. This one floating.
Rob
I love that. I love that.
So here we are. We've been making our way through the 10 disciplines. So far, we've covered disciplines 1 through 4. And for the listener, if you haven't listened to those episodes yet, you can check them out. They're episodes number 21, 23, and 20 5. Today, we are going to discuss the outer and inner world benefits of discipline number 5, know your 100%, and discipline number 6, say no often. Alright. So let's jump in with discipline number 5, know your 100%.
And if you've been listening, you kinda know how this goes. I share what we call the bold statement, which means if you just did this one thing, that's all you'd have to do. So here it is. Decide on and commit to the number of hours per week weeks per year that you will deliver your value to the world. And this is where I turn it over to Gino, who starts by giving us context. Gino, over to you.
Gino
My pleasure. So context on know you're a 100%. You know, this one, I always say that know thyself is my favorite discipline, and this one is a close second. Okay? Because this one is like, you talk about impact. This is where we make an impact on the world as driven entrepreneurs to the degree we really dial this in. So again, as some of you may know, it's this is your work container as we lovingly call it.
And so this is you figuring out that perfect number of hours per week weeks per year that is your maximum output, where one more hour a week, you will start to burn out. One less hour a week, you will start to get bored. And so it's figuring out that perfect capacity so that you can go provide your craft to the world again, make that impact Dube to the wonderful work that you do. And I love how, it was a podcaster that shared this with me as I was teaching it. And he talked about how it's kind of like the fuel efficiency gauge in a car that where you're pushing the accelerator, there's this perfect place where you hit that accelerator, where you're getting maximum fuel efficiency. That's what we're talking about here is helping you get maximum energy output, maximum energy efficiency as a driven entrepreneur.
Rob
Yeah. So, you know, how does knowing your 100% help to manage and maximize your energy? With this one, you're becoming more clear about how much time you're working each day and each week, and as a result, you're doing your best work, you're making greater impact, you're avoiding burnout, your batteries are recharged, your vibrational energy is higher. And, Gino, I wanted to share an interesting fact here. 77% of the entrepreneurs that have taken our true self assessment do not know they're 100%. So out of all the disciplines, this is the most difficult for the entrepreneurs. So I'd love to hear what's coming to mind for you about that.
Gino
Yeah. A couple of things, cause this, I get asked this question so often, you know, and it's just basic question of how do you do this? And it takes time. This one unfortunately takes time. There's no easy road and there's no fast road. So it's a slow road, but it's worth it. And so I urge you to just start by recording the current hours you're spending every week.
Just get a sense of it. You know, it's not like it's perfect. We're not talking about it's different for everybody, but it's not like it's this perfect 8 to 4 or 6 to 7. It's it's not like that. But but if you really look at your work MO, there's this number of hours that you've always kinda worked. You fall into this place. And so for me, it it always was a little more specific because I would start working at around 7 AM, and I would be done by 6 AM.
That was kinda my MO, and I would do that 5 days a week. So there's my 55 hours, and then I worked 40 weeks a year. So mine was a little more specific.
Mine is becoming a little more fluid. I'm working down to 40 hours a week now. The point I'm making though is just keep track of it and just get a sense. And so for some of you, you might start when you wake up. That's the best thing for your energy. Some of you may sleep later than most. Some of you may get up earlier than most.
This is not about a race to wake up at 5 AM and and get to work. This is about figuring out your formula because some of you do need to sleep a little longer than most, and that's your energy. So once you start to track it, be really honest with yourself. How many hours are you working a week? Because, you know, if you're not working 3 hours in the middle of the day because you went off to the gym or whatever you did, you know, that doesn't count. Those aren't work hours. So just be really, really honest.
And so, again, my intensity, I would work 7 to 6, 11 hours straight. I mean, my lunch was not a relaxing lunch. I'm in a meeting while I'm chewing. I'm in a session while I'm chewing. In other words, I keep going hard, but that's okay.
That was my formula. I have a client that's 35 hours a week. That's all he ever works, and that's all anyone in the entire company ever works. And then I've got another one. It's 80 hours. So just be really honest with yourself about your formula.
And it is what it is. Now, all of a sudden when you start tracking it, you're going to start to get a sense and realize what the magic number is. And then just be really honest because the magic happens when you figure out what it is as I did. Now, all of a sudden I can start focusing on the magic and that's eliminating. Now I know the container I'm working with. Now I can start eliminating stuff in the container that's low energy, low impact work, replacing it with high energy, high impact work. And all of a sudden, now that work container, your 100% is packed with high impact, high energy stuff.
Rob
Yeah. And do you consider that an outer world benefit once you have it dialed in or an inner world, or is that both what you just shared?
Gino
For me, it's both. And here's here's how I would describe it. The outer world is obvious. There's no question that this one probably is the easiest to understand the outer world benefit because what happens if you're fully in, let's say, for lack of better term, your True Self, truly your work True Self, a 100% of the time, you are going to make a much bigger impact. You're gonna reach more people. You're gonna be more creative. You're gonna make better products, provide better services, communicate better.
You're just going to do your magic as a creator in the world better than ever. So that's the outer world benefit and you'll make a hell of a lot more money too. In other words, there's no coincidence that your income goes up when you're 100% is spent in your sweet spot. But now let's go to the inner world benefit because the inner world benefit is when you are in that sweet spot for your perfect amount of time, that work container, you are in flow. You will literally feel in the you're you're gonna feel like you're just kinda floating through life. There's gonna be an ease about the work that you're doing because you're not doing energy draining work. You're not doing work that requires effort. It's natural.
And so all of a sudden, the peace in your body, the tectonic plates shift left less. And so tons of inner world benefit, but you're gonna see most of it in the outer world, quite
Rob
frankly. Yeah. You know, when I think about in terms of managing this one where you're dialing it in, you're getting really clear about your priorities as well. And, you know, let's take it outside of the work container for a second. Like, let's just say you have kids, for example, and you wanna go to their sporting events, and you wanna be on time. You don't wanna be rushing, and you wanna be fully present while you're there. So you have your container.
You're really clear about it. If you stay disciplined to it, you don't feel guilty when you leave the office or turn it off for the day because you've maximized your time to make the greatest impact. So I hope the listener will think about it in in those terms. And at the end of the day, you just you're fully present with whatever it is that you're working on or who you're with. So, Gina, before we segue to the next discipline, anything else coming to mind for know your 100%?
Gino
Yeah. There's this this visual I have in my mind, and I I'm gonna see if you can help me with this because I have I have a funny feeling you'll help make this clear. Because again, what we're talking about is this work container, this, this, this very specific amount of time you have to bring your gift to the world. And assuming this is true and we're accurate, there it is, and that's what you're working with. There's this precious amount of time now that you're devoting to applying that to the world. And as I mentioned earlier, the idea is to get rid of all the stuff that is low energy, replace it with high energy stuff. And so we call that delegate and elevate, delegate and elevate, delegate and elevate.
In the EOS world, we use that terminology, but it's universal. Delegate and elevate. You're delegating the low energy stuff. You're elevating True high energy stuff. So in doing that, I'm trying to pick this, like, perfect analogy of, like, you know, so like the thought that's coming to my mind is, you know, let's pretend your gift is to be this incredible speaker. Okay? Another that's what you do when you are on stage More of everything that happens, you inspire people, you sell stuff, you get stuff done, your company grows, and let's just pretend, you know, whatever your number of hours and number of weeks are, we can keep you on stage for that entire period of time.
Now that's not True. But the point I'm making is that's an example of trying to help the listener out there. I'm trying to help our clients understand what is my superpower, and that's where I need to spend all my time and start to literally create this allergy or utter disdain for anything that is not that. In other words, it's gotta be so obvious because it's a no brainer. Man, if I'm on that stage and again, the stage is just an analogy for everything Selves. It could be that you sell really really well. You teach really well.
You make the product really well. You make the service. Whatever it is, that's where you need to spend all of your time and then build a team of people around you. And so you keep elevating yourself higher and higher and higher and higher for lack of better term, and you just keep building a team. And hence, that's how a company is built and grows. And you're just keeping yourself in that work container, never letting it get away from you so that you never burn out.
Rob
Yeah. Yeah. You said it on that a 100%. You nailed it. Yeah. Okay. So let's move on to discipline number 6.
Say no often. So the bold statement here is say no to everything that doesn't fit in to the first five disciplines, and the we are with the master of saying no. I mean, aside from the fact you're we always have you provide context, you are the master of of this discipline, discipline number 6. So provide the context, my friend.
Gino
I appreciate that. Well, but in the interest of full disclosure, you know, my Yeah. 3 to 6 months ago was Alright.
Rob
Let's hear this.
Gino
I am the master of saying no in my business life. You know? And I've been great in the years. My personal life, I realized I'm a wimp. I'm a people pleaser.
Rob
I heard you say that. I forgot about that.
Gino
Yes. And I do get a little anxious when I say no, but but with the it has greatly shifted. Okay. And so what we're talking about here are boundaries. So again, when the first five disciplines are in place, you now have clear So, again, when the first five Disciplines are in place, you now have clear boundaries, and we always lovingly say it's as clear as somebody telling you to eat a worm. You would immediately shoot back and say no. That's how fast you'll be able to say no to anything that doesn't fit in your first five disciplines, I e, your boundaries. So it's about setting boundaries.
So I set great boundaries in my business, didn't set great boundaries in my personal life. I'm working at that, doing much better at that. So that's what this is about is boundaries and solving the the anxiety. Okay? And so in, in the book, what is the name of his book? It's escaping me right now. I always quote him.
Rob
Essentialism?
Gino
Yes. Essentialism. Greg McCowen talks about we when faced with having to tell somebody no, there's anxiety. We get anxious. And so you at that moment, you have a decision to make. And so most of us defaulted to saying yes because we don't wanna feel that anxiousness. And we say yes.
And he so powerfully says to us, you can either feel that you when you look at that math, it's really simple.
But here's the beauty. When those boundaries are clear, in the first five Disciplines, the anxiety goes away because you're so resolute. You're so aligned. You're just so aligned. It's so clear. And what in business, I was just always so aligned. So it's a no brainer. And then the last little point that I like to share, is that whenever I tell somebody "no" in business, i always offer up something. And so they go away happy. In other words, they don't go away upset because I always say, well, you know, unfortunately, I cannot do that. But here are some other resources that maybe can, you know. And so if I have to say no to a podcast, I say, here's one or two people that might be great for your podcast or your talk or again, or whatever the request is.
You're just so aligned. It's so clear. And what in business, I was just always so aligned. So it's a no brainer. And then the last little point that I always like to share is what I realized. And this was Mike Payton who told me this, one of my partners in EOS worldwide. I didn't realize I did it.
But whenever I tell somebody no in business, I always offer up something. And so whenever I tell somebody no, they go away happy. In other words, they don't go away upset because I always say, well, you know, unfortunately, I cannot do that, but here are some other resources that maybe can't. You know? And so if I have to say no to a podcast, I say, here's 1 or 2 people that might be great for your podcast or your talk or again or whatever the request is. And so that's a great little technique to help take some of the sting off if you're still experiencing that anxiety.
Rob
Yeah. For sure.
And in the book, we actually have a couple examples. So if you have the book or if you don't, go out and get it. And there's some great ways to be graceful about it. It's really helpful. So, you know, in terms of managing and maximizing your energy beyond what you said, you know, it's important because you're not doing things you hate doing now, you're spending time with people that you want to spend time with, and all of that leads to greater energy. And, you know, one of the things that I've noticed is we often say yes, you know, because of our ego. We wanna be seen as a person who can take care of things for people, or we say yes because we feel guilty. And in both cases, as you mentioned with Greg, Greg's book, Essentialism, we don't consider the ramifications of this yes, that we're about to give, and, we have major regrets after. You know?
And then in terms of outer world benefit, you know, one of the things I was thinking about, Gino, but I'm curious what you think is time. You know, you get that time back, and that's your greatest asset. We give that away so easily. And then, of course, you know, you have a clearer mind when you have time so you can work on the things that create the greatest impact. Anything I'm missing there?
Gino
Well, yeah. But I'll I'll really anchor it.
Rob
Yeah.
Gino
Because we talk about the first five disciplines. When they're in place, it's easy to say no. So let's grab the one we just talked about and knowing you're a 100%. Yeah. And what we talked about with delegating and elevating. And so now that you know you only have this precious time, this work container. And so you should only be saying yes to the things that fit in there. And so what you're doing now is you're saying no to the low energy, low impact stuff, replacing it with high energy, high impact stuff.
All of a sudden, you just filled that work container, that 100%, that capacity with more outer world benefit. So that's the beauty of it. And then to go to the inner world stuff, you know, we've talked about that. Most of us get very anxious by saying no. We feel guilty. We feel bad, and that is draining your energy. Guilt would not be the emotion I would recommend you walk around life with. So so it's like the guilt goes away.
So all of a sudden, if I can reduce your guilt by 50%, your energy just shot up a few points, and you're radiating more, you're shining brighter and, feeling better and again feeling more inner peace.
Rob
Yeah. You know, one of the other things that I hear in working with our clients, they don't always say it, but I pick up on it and it's FOMO. You know, just fear of missing out. They're successful people, and so what ends up happening is they have so many opportunities. And honestly, they're all really good. And so but, you know, here's the thing. You're driven, you're successful, and you have more ideas and more opportunities than you know what to do with.
So you have to pick and choose, and that's really critical to stay focused and make the greatest impact. I also wanted to share that also in the book, we have a great resource. It's called the Say No Comfort Scale, and that's on pages 169 and 170. So check that out. Fill it out. See how comfortable you are saying no. Alright, Gino. Any last words on say no often?
Gino
Yes. You prompted 3 thoughts there. Okay. So let's go back to what you were talking about regarding saying yes. Okay. Because there's actually teachings out there and philosophies around say yes, say yes, say yes to everything in life. Well, let's get really clear on who they're teaching that to because it's not driven entrepreneurs. Okay. And so if you are sitting around on your ass at home all day, twiddling your thumbs, say yes to everything.
Please say yes to everything. Okay? A driven entrepreneur doesn't have that luxury. You if you said yes to everything, it would take 4 times your work capacity to do everything you're saying yes to. So you are in a very unique position on this earth where you have got to choose and choose very wisely. So that say yes philosophy does not apply to you. At least that's my humble philosophy and belief.
The next thing that prompted for me is a fun thing that I do with every audience, and I decided, what the heck? Let's do it on this podcast. So what I do with the audience, because again, people really struggle with putting their lips together and uttering the words no. And it's so funny. I just realized I have my little no button here. So can you read that?
Rob
Oh, yeah. That's great. It's like the staples button or whatever, but it says no for those that aren't seeing this.
Gino
Yeah. And watch this. No. No. A 1000 times no. So it gives it gives 10 variations of no. So go buy 1 if you struggle with it.
Rob
Love it.
Gino
But the point I'm bringing up on that is people, I mean, literally True putting their lips and tongue together to utter that word. And so with the audience, I will say, okay. On the count of 3, we're all gonna turn to the person next to us and say no. Okay? So we're gonna do it on this podcast right now. So everybody out there listening, even if you're driving in the car, no matter where you are, just say no with conviction to practice it, and we'll do it with you. You. Ready? 123. No. There you go.
And then the last thing you prompted is, just the prescription that we offer everybody as an action item. And just please, in the 7 days, say no to at least one thing. Just please just practice it, commit to yourself.
I will do this in the next 7 days. Just say no to someone and start building that muscle.
Rob
Yeah. Great. Thank you, Gino. Appreciate that. We're out of time, and I'll see you at the next one.
Gino
Thank you for listening in today. We truly appreciate you taking the time to spend with us, and please tune in for the next episode. Until then, if you'd like to see where you are on your true self journey, go to shed and shine podcast.com to take the true self assessment and receive personalized guidance. If you're all ready to begin your inner world journey with Rob and myself, please join us for the next round of the 10 disciplines group coaching program. We wish you all the best in freeing your true Self. Stay focused and much love.